Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 98-387
For release: IMMEDIATE
Media contact: 606-5902 Wednesday, September 23, 1998
EMPL0YEE TENURE IN 1998
The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with
their current employer (referred to as employee tenure) was 3.6 years in
February 1998, edging down from 3.8 years in February 1996, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Among men,
median employee tenure decreased for most age groups, as it did in 1996.
Among women, overall tenure changed little from 1996 to 1998.
Information on tenure has been obtained periodically since the early
1950s from supplemental questions in the Current Population Survey (CPS), a
monthly survey of about 50,000 households that provides information on
employment, unemployment, earnings, demographics, and other characteristics
of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The questions
on tenure that were asked prior to 1983 differ from those asked in more
recent surveys. As a result, this release focuses only on data from 1983
to 1998. (See the Technical Note.) Some highlights from the February 1998
survey follow:
--The proportion of men who had worked for their current employer for
10 years or more fell over the 1983-to-1998 period, while the proportion of
women rose.
--The median years of tenure for older workers ages 45 to 54 was more
than double that for workers ages 25 to 34.
--About a quarter of all workers age 16 and over had been with their
current employer for 12 months or less.
--Workers in government had the highest median tenure of the major
industries.
--Managers and professionals had the highest median tenure among the
major occupational groups, while workers in service occupations had the
lowest median tenure.
Demographic characteristics
Among men, median tenure (the point at which half the workers had more
tenure and half had less) was 3.8 years in February 1998, down slightly
from 4.0-4.1 years in the four prior surveys. (See table 1.) This decline
occurred despite an upward shift in the age of the workforce. In 1998, men
ages 25 to 34 comprised 26 percent of the male workforce, down from 30
percent in 1983. From 1983 to 1998, the proportion made up by men ages 35
to 44 rose from 21 to 28 percent, and the share of men ages 45 to 54 rose
from 16 to 20 percent. All other things being equal, this age shift would
have been associated with an increase in median tenure. However, the
median tenure decline from 1983 to 1998 for men in every age group offset
the aging effect.
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The median tenure for women in February 1998 was 3.4 years, little
changed from February 1996, but up from 3.1 years in January 1983. The
increase was due, in part, to rising median tenure among women ages 35
to 54. In addition, the age distribution of working women also has shifted
upward since 1983, contributing to the increase in tenure.
The proportion of men age 25 and over who had worked for their current
employer for 10 years or more fell by 5 percentage points over the 1983-to-
1998 period, to 32.7 percent. (See table 2.) (Workers ages 16 to 24 are
excluded from table 2 because few of these young workers could have been
with their current employer for 10 years or more.) Declines occurred in
every age group over the 1983-98 period. For men ages 40 to 64, the
proportion who had worked for their employer at least 10 years fell by
about 10 percentage points, in each 5-year age group. The percent of women
age 25 and over with 10 years or more of tenure with their current employer
was 28.4 in February 1998, up by 3.5 percentage points from January 1983.
The trend toward rising proportions of women with long tenure occurred
mainly among 35- to 54-year-olds.
A much larger proportion of whites and blacks than of Hispanics have
10 or more years of tenure with their current employer. (See table 3.) In
February 1998, 17 percent of Hispanics (age 16 and over) had been with
their current employer for 10 or more years, compared with 26 percent for
blacks and whites. This is, in large part, due to the relative youth of
the Hispanic population. For example, 57 percent of black and 59 percent
of white employed wage and salary workers were age 35 and over in February
1998; only 48 percent of Hispanics were in this age range. Even within
particular age groups, however, Hispanic men and women generally are less
likely than their white or black counterparts to have worked for their
current employer for 10 years or longer.
In February 1998, a little more than a quarter of workers age 16 and
over had been with their current employer for 12 months or less. This
group includes new entrants and reentrants to the work force, job losers
who found new jobs during the previous year, and workers who had
voluntarily changed employers during the previous year. Young workers are
very likely to have short tenure: Seventy-eight percent of 16- to 19-year-
olds and 54 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds had tenure of 12 months or less
with their current employer in February 1998. Conversely, for workers ages
55 to 64, that share was only 12 percent, while 29 percent had worked for
their current employer for 20 years or more.
Within most age groups, men and women who do not have a high school
diploma have lower median tenure than those with more education. (See
table 4.) A clear relationship between tenure and educational attainment
does not exist for workers who have a high school diploma or higher level
of education.
Industry
In February 1998, workers in government had the highest median tenure
(7.3 years) of the major industries. (See table 5.) Government workers
also tend to be older, on average, than are workers in the private sector.
For example, 72 percent of government workers are age 35 and over, compared
with 57 percent of those in the private sector. Median tenure in
government has trended upward since 1983, as has the percentage of
government workers with 10 or more years of tenure. This corresponds with
an increase in the proportion of government workers age 35 and over since
1983.
In the private sector, workers in the mining industry had the highest
median tenure, 5.6 years, in February 1998. Sixty-nine percent of the
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workers in this industry are age 35 or over. Retail trade, which tends to
employ a large number of young people, had the lowest median tenure at 1.8
years; only 45 percent of workers in retail trade are 35 years of age or
older.
In manufacturing, median tenure was 4.9 years in February 1998,
falling slightly from 5.4 years in February 1996 after remaining fairly
steady since January 1983. Within manufacturing, one of the largest
declines in tenure occurred in motor vehicles and equipment. Since 1983,
median tenure in that industry has decreased from 13.0 to 6.4 years.
Aircraft and parts had the highest median tenure (9.6 years) in February
1998. Median tenure in this industry had risen substantially between 1991
and 1996, when employment levels in the industry were generally declining.
Occupation
Managers and professionals had the highest median tenure (4.8 years)
among the major occupational groups. (See table 6.) Within this group,
officials and administrators in public administration had median tenure of
12.1 years, almost 4 years higher than in January 1983.
Workers in service occupations had the lowest median tenure among the
major occupational groups, 2.4 years in February 1998. Within this
occupational group, protective service workers had the highest median
tenure, 5.4 years, while food service workers had the lowest median tenure,
1.3 years. Greater proportions of service workers are under age 35 than
are workers in managerial and professional specialty occupations (51 and 31
percent, respectively).
Technical Note
The data presented in this release were collected through a supplement
to the February 1998 Current Population Survey (CPS), the monthly survey of
about 50,000 households that provides information on employment,
unemployment, earnings, demographics, and other characteristics of the
nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The CPS is
conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The February 1998 CPS supplement obtained information on worker
displacement and on workers' tenure with their current employer. The data on
worker displacement appear in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news re-
lease USDL 98-347, "Worker Displacement, 1995-97," issued on August 19, 1998.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and
nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the
"true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling
error, varies depending upon the particular sample selected, and this
variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is
about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based
on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true"
population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally
conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment
of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in
the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of
Employment and Earnings.
Tenure questions and concepts
In the February 1998 CPS supplement, questions on tenure were asked of
all employed persons. The first question was: "How long have/has you/name
been working continuously for (fill in name of present employer)?"
_____ Days
_____ Weeks
_____ Months
_____ Years
For responses of "1 year" or "2 years," a follow-up question asked: "Could
you please give the exact number of months?"
The purpose of the follow-up question was to obtain more precise
information on workers who had been with their current employer a
relatively short time. This follow-up question was included for the first
time in the February 1996 CPS supplement on worker displacement and tenure.
CPS supplements that obtained information on tenure in January of 1983,
1987, and 1991 did not include the follow-up question. In those surveys,
responses of 1 year or more could be coded only as the nearest full year,
and responses of less than a year were coded as the nearest full month.
Prior to January 1983, CPS supplements on tenure asked wage and salary
workers, "When did ... start working at your/his/her present job?" Self-
employed workers were asked, "When did ... start working at your/his/her
present business?" For wage and salary workers, the meaning of the term
"job" is ambiguous. For example, a worker who had been employed at a
particular company for 10 years and had been promoted to a managerial
position 1 year prior to the survey may have been counted as having 10
years or 1 year of tenure, depending on whether the respondent interpreted
the question to mean tenure with the current employer or tenure in the
managerial position. To rectify this ambiguity, the wording of the
question was changed in January 1983 to specify the length of time a worker
had been with his or her current employer. The change resulted in a break
in historical comparability, and for this reason, estimates of tenure are
not presented in this release for years prior to 1983.
Interpreting tenure data
Data on tenure have been used as a gauge of employment security, with
some observers regarding increases in tenure as a sign of improving
security and decreasing tenure as a sign of deteriorating security.
However, there are limitations to using the data in this way. For example,
during recessions or other periods of declining job security, median tenure
and the proportion of workers with long tenure could rise because less-
senior workers are more likely to lose their jobs than are workers with
longer tenure. During periods of economic growth, median tenure and the
proportion of workers with long tenure could fall because more job
opportunities are available for new entrants to the workforce and
experienced workers have more opportunities to change employers and take
better jobs. Tenure also could rise under improving economic conditions,
however, as fewer layoffs occur and good job matches develop between
workers and employers.
Table 1. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by age
and sex, selected years, 1983-98
Age and sex January January January February February
1983 1987 1991 1996 1998
TOTAL
16 years and over...................... 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6
16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .7 .6
18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7
20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1
25 years and over............................ 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.7
25 to 34 years............................. 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7
35 to 44 years............................. 5.2 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.0
45 to 54 years............................. 9.5 8.8 8.9 8.3 8.1
55 to 64 years............................. 12.2 11.6 11.1 10.2 10.1
65 years and over.......................... 9.6 9.5 8.1 8.4 7.8
Men
16 years and over...................... 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8
16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .6 .6
18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7
20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2
25 years and over............................ 5.9 5.7 5.4 5.3 4.9
25 to 34 years............................. 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8
35 to 44 years............................. 7.3 7.0 6.5 6.1 5.5
45 to 54 years............................. 12.8 11.8 11.2 10.1 9.4
55 to 64 years............................. 15.3 14.5 13.4 10.5 11.2
65 years and over.......................... 8.3 8.3 7.0 8.3 7.1
Women
16 years and over...................... 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.4
16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .7 .7
18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7
20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1
25 years and over............................ 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.7 4.4
25 to 34 years............................. 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5
35 to 44 years............................. 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.5
45 to 54 years............................. 6.3 6.8 6.7 7.0 7.2
55 to 64 years............................. 9.8 9.7 9.9 10.0 9.6
65 years and over.......................... 10.1 9.9 9.5 8.4 8.7
NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used
beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980
census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current
Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
self-employed.
Table 2. Percent of employed wage and salary workers 25 years and over who had 10 years or more of
tenure with their current employer by age and sex, selected years, 1983-98
Age and sex January January January February February
1983 1987 1991 1996 1998
TOTAL
25 years and over..................... 31.9 30.7 32.2 30.5 30.7
25 to 29 years............................... 3.3 4.1 5.1 2.8 2.7
30 to 34 years............................... 16.9 16.9 19.3 14.7 14.7
35 to 39 years............................... 29.9 29.6 31.1 26.9 27.0
40 to 44 years............................... 38.1 38.7 39.3 36.1 35.6
45 to 49 years............................... 46.5 45.2 46.5 44.5 42.9
50 to 54 years............................... 53.5 51.8 51.4 50.4 48.8
55 to 59 years............................... 59.3 57.6 56.7 54.0 52.9
60 to 64 years............................... 59.8 55.9 55.4 51.5 54.4
65 years and over............................ 50.9 50.1 46.3 47.4 45.0
Men
25 years and over..................... 37.7 35.0 35.9 33.1 32.7
25 to 29 years............................... 4.0 4.5 5.7 3.3 3.1
30 to 34 years............................... 18.7 18.7 21.1 15.6 15.3
35 to 39 years............................... 36.9 34.8 35.6 30.5 29.7
40 to 44 years............................... 51.1 48.5 46.3 41.7 39.1
45 to 49 years............................... 57.8 53.0 53.5 50.8 47.4
50 to 54 years............................... 62.3 59.4 58.5 54.9 52.8
55 to 59 years............................... 66.2 63.2 61.0 55.7 56.5
60 to 64 years............................... 65.6 58.7 57.5 50.4 55.7
65 years and over............................ 47.6 47.4 42.6 47.6 42.3
Women
25 years and over..................... 24.9 25.7 28.2 27.6 28.4
25 to 29 years............................... 2.5 3.6 4.4 2.2 2.2
30 to 34 years............................... 14.8 14.7 17.3 13.6 14.0
35 to 39 years............................... 21.6 23.8 26.1 22.9 24.0
40 to 44 years............................... 23.4 27.9 32.0 30.4 31.8
45 to 49 years............................... 33.0 36.4 39.3 38.1 38.4
50 to 54 years............................... 42.5 43.0 43.4 45.8 44.6
55 to 59 years............................... 51.0 50.8 51.4 52.1 49.2
60 to 64 years............................... 52.6 52.4 53.1 52.7 53.0
65 years and over............................ 54.5 53.1 49.9 47.2 47.7
NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used
beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980
census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current
Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
self-employed.
Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and
Hispanic origin, February 1998
Percent distribution by tenure with current employer
Number
Age, sex, race, and employed
Hispanic origin (in thousands) 12 13 to 3 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 15 to 20
Total months 23 2 years years years 14 19 years
or less months years years or more
TOTAL
16 years and over. 115,892 100.0 27.8 7.9 4.9 15.8 17.9 10.7 6.1 9.0
16 to 19 years........... 6,461 100.0 77.9 10.2 6.1 5.5 .3 - - -
20 years and over........ 109,431 100.0 24.8 7.7 4.8 16.4 18.9 11.3 6.5 9.5
20 to 24 years........... 11,967 100.0 53.5 13.1 9.1 18.4 5.9 (1) - -
25 to 34 years........... 29,291 100.0 31.3 10.4 6.0 21.9 21.5 8.0 .9 -
35 to 44 years........... 31,684 100.0 20.5 6.7 4.0 15.6 22.0 15.9 9.7 5.6
45 to 54 years........... 23,482 100.0 14.7 5.2 3.4 12.5 18.7 13.6 10.2 21.7
55 to 64 years........... 10,377 100.0 11.6 4.0 2.6 11.0 17.3 14.2 10.4 28.9
65 years and over........ 2,631 100.0 16.1 3.5 3.6 13.1 18.6 13.9 9.5 21.7
Men
16 years and over. 60,113 100.0 26.9 7.5 4.7 15.9 17.4 10.5 6.2 10.9
16 to 19 years........... 3,143 100.0 78.3 10.4 5.0 5.9 .4 - - -
20 years and over........ 56,970 100.0 24.1 7.3 4.7 16.4 18.3 11.1 6.6 11.5
20 to 24 years........... 6,270 100.0 52.1 12.1 10.3 19.4 6.0 (1) - -
25 to 34 years........... 15,637 100.0 30.6 9.6 5.7 22.6 22.2 8.4 1.0 -
35 to 44 years........... 16,568 100.0 19.2 6.5 3.5 14.7 21.8 16.7 10.8 6.8
45 to 54 years........... 11,866 100.0 14.3 4.6 3.1 12.2 16.2 11.5 10.7 27.5
55 to 64 years........... 5,333 100.0 11.3 3.9 2.6 10.1 15.9 12.2 8.3 35.8
65 years and over........ 1,297 100.0 16.5 4.9 4.3 14.2 17.7 15.1 6.3 20.9
Women
16 years and over. 55,779 100.0 28.7 8.3 5.1 15.8 18.3 10.9 6.0 6.9
16 to 19 years........... 3,318 100.0 77.4 10.0 7.2 5.2 .2 - - -
20 years and over........ 52,461 100.0 25.6 8.2 5.0 16.4 19.5 11.6 6.3 7.4
20 to 24 years........... 5,697 100.0 55.0 14.2 7.7 17.3 5.7 (1) - -
25 to 34 years........... 13,654 100.0 32.2 11.3 6.4 21.2 20.8 7.4 .7 -
35 to 44 years........... 15,116 100.0 21.9 6.8 4.5 16.6 22.3 15.0 8.6 4.2
45 to 54 years........... 11,616 100.0 15.2 5.8 3.8 12.8 21.3 15.7 9.7 15.8
55 to 64 years........... 5,044 100.0 11.9 4.2 2.6 11.9 18.9 16.3 12.6 21.6
65 years and over........ 1,334 100.0 15.7 2.1 3.0 12.0 19.6 12.6 12.6 22.4
White
16 years and over.... 97,341 100.0 27.5 8.0 4.8 15.7 18.0 10.8 6.2 9.2
Men...................... 51,234 100.0 26.6 7.5 4.6 15.7 17.3 10.7 6.4 11.2
Women.................... 46,108 100.0 28.4 8.6 5.0 15.6 18.7 11.0 5.9 6.9
Black
16 years and over.... 13,298 100.0 29.1 6.3 5.4 16.6 16.8 10.0 6.4 9.4
Men...................... 6,123 100.0 28.7 6.1 5.2 16.5 17.3 9.2 6.0 11.1
Women.................... 7,175 100.0 29.5 6.5 5.6 16.6 16.3 10.7 6.7 8.0
Hispanic origin
16 years and over.... 12,695 100.0 31.4 8.4 6.5 19.6 17.4 8.6 3.6 4.4
Men...................... 7,468 100.0 30.7 7.9 6.1 19.9 18.1 8.1 4.0 5.2
Women.................... 5,227 100.0 32.5 9.1 7.0 19.0 16.5 9.3 3.2 3.3
1 Less than 0.05 percent.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the
"other races" groups are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population
groups. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
self-employed. Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers 25 years
and over by educational attainment, sex, and age, February 1998
25 years and over
Educational attainment and sex
Total 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 years
years years years years and over
Total.......................... 4.7 2.7 5.0 8.1 10.1 7.8
Less than a high school diploma.... 4.0 2.2 3.3 5.6 9.2 7.7
High school graduates, no college.. 4.9 2.9 5.1 7.7 10.1 7.7
Some college, no degree............ 4.6 2.6 5.2 8.7 9.9 7.4
Associate degree................... 4.6 2.8 5.2 7.5 9.8 9.0
College graduates.................. 4.8 2.6 5.4 9.2 11.8 8.5
Bachelor's degree................ 4.4 2.6 5.3 8.8 9.9 9.3
Master's degree.................. 6.0 2.7 5.5 10.2 14.5 8.4
Doctoral or professional degree.. 5.3 2.1 5.5 8.0 14.8 6.0
Men............................ 4.9 2.8 5.5 9.4 11.2 7.1
Less than a high school diploma.... 4.2 2.3 3.7 6.4 10.1 6.8
High school graduates, no college.. 5.2 3.2 6.2 9.6 10.9 7.2
Some college, no degree............ 5.0 2.9 6.1 10.0 11.0 6.3
Associate degree................... 4.8 2.8 5.5 9.1 9.5 16.7
College graduates.................. 4.9 2.7 5.4 9.7 14.2 7.3
Bachelor's degree................ 4.6 2.7 5.5 9.8 10.4 7.7
Master's degree.................. 5.6 2.7 5.2 10.0 17.0 6.8
Doctoral or professional degree.. 5.7 2.1 5.8 8.4 18.1 8.1
Women.......................... 4.4 2.5 4.5 7.2 9.6 8.7
Less than a high school diploma.... 3.8 2.0 2.9 4.7 8.0 8.5
High school graduates, no college.. 4.6 2.5 4.3 6.4 9.7 8.3
Some college, no degree............ 4.2 2.4 4.6 7.7 8.5 8.7
Associate degree................... 4.4 2.9 4.9 6.7 10.1 5.4
College graduates.................. 4.6 2.5 5.3 8.7 10.1 10.0
Bachelor's degree................ 4.2 2.6 5.2 7.9 9.5 10.5
Master's degree.................. 6.2 2.6 5.9 10.5 12.6 11.7
Doctoral or professional degree.. 4.6 2.1 5.0 7.3 10.6 4.6
NOTE: Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by
industry, selected years, 1983-98
Industry January January January February February
1983 1987 1991 1996 1998
Total, 16 years and over.............................. 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6
Agriculture.............................................. 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.4 2.9
Nonagricultural industries............................... 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6
Government............................................. 5.8 6.5 6.5 6.9 7.3
Private industries..................................... 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.2
Mining............................................... 3.4 6.1 5.8 6.1 5.6
Construction......................................... 2.0 2.0 2.6 2.9 2.7
Manufacturing........................................ 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.4 4.9
Durable goods(1)................................... 5.6 6.0 5.8 5.3 4.9
Lumber and wood products......................... 4.0 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.8
Furniture and fixtures........................... 4.2 3.2 4.0 4.2 3.9
Stone, clay, and glass products.................. 7.0 6.8 6.3 5.1 6.1
Primary metal industries......................... 10.0 10.2 9.7 8.1 8.0
Fabricated metal products........................ 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.1 4.0
Machinery and computing equipment................ 5.8 6.7 5.9 5.2 4.4
Electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies.... 4.7 4.8 5.5 4.9 5.0
Transportation equipment(1)...................... 8.8 8.0 7.6 8.3 7.8
Motor vehicles and equipment................... 13.0 11.2 11.7 7.8 6.4
Aircraft and parts............................. 6.4 6.8 6.3 9.8 9.6
Professional and photographic equipment and
watches............................................... 4.7 5.9 5.1 5.1 5.5
Toys, amusements, and sporting goods............. 3.6 5.8 3.2 2.7 3.6
Nondurable goods(1)................................ 5.1 4.9 4.7 5.4 4.9
Food and kindred products........................ 5.2 4.4 4.2 5.1 5.1
Textile mill products............................ 7.0 7.0 5.6 5.4 6.7
Apparel and other finished textile products...... 3.8 3.2 3.8 3.8 3.8
Paper and allied products........................ 7.6 8.6 7.6 8.4 7.5
Printing and publishing.......................... 3.2 3.2 3.5 4.3 4.0
Chemicals and allied products.................... 7.0 7.2 5.7 6.9 5.4
Petroleum and coal products...................... 6.0 11.7 8.4 10.3 9.4
Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products....... 5.4 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.6
Transportation and public utilities.................. 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.2 4.8
Transportation..................................... 4.6 3.9 4.2 4.1 3.8
Communications and other public utilities.......... 8.3 8.4 9.9 8.2 8.2
Wholesale trade...................................... 3.8 3.7 3.4 3.9 4.1
Retail trade......................................... 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8
Finance, insurance, and real estate.................. 3.2 3.0 3.4 4.1 3.5
Banking and other finance.......................... 3.3 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.7
Insurance and real estate.......................... 3.0 2.9 3.2 4.2 3.4
Services(1).......................................... 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.0 2.9
Private households................................. 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.3
Services, except private households................ 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.0 2.9
Business services................................ 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.0 1.9
Automobile and repair services................... 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.9 2.4
Personal services, except private households..... 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.3
Entertainment and recreation services............ 1.8 1.8 2.3 1.9 1.9
Hospitals........................................ 3.5 4.6 4.2 5.2 5.2
Health services, except hospitals................ 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.9 2.9
Educational services............................. 2.7 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.5
Social services.................................. 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.8 2.7
Other professional services...................... 2.9 2.8 3.3 3.5 3.3
1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used
beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980
census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current
Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
self-employed.
Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by
occupation, selected years, 1983-98
Occupation January January January February February
1983 1987 1991 1996 1998
Total, 16 years and over............................. 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6
Managerial and professional specialty.................... 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.1 4.8
Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 5.3 5.1 5.5 5.5 5.3
Officials and administrators, public administration.. 8.3 9.8 10.9 10.4 12.1
Other executive, administrative, and managerial...... 5.7 5.5 6.0 5.2 5.1
Management-related occupations....................... 4.8 4.2 4.7 4.8 4.1
Professional specialty................................. 4.5 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.4
Engineers............................................ 6.3 6.1 6.7 6.6 5.3
Mathematical and computer scientists................. 3.8 5.0 4.2 4.5 3.3
Natural scientists................................... 4.7 6.0 5.6 4.4 5.0
Health diagnosing occupations........................ 2.8 2.5 3.0 3.3 3.2
Health assessment and treating occupations........... 3.6 4.1 4.2 4.9 4.6
Teachers, college and university..................... 4.4 7.2 5.5 4.4 4.2
Teachers, except college and university.............. 6.0 7.0 6.7 5.8 5.9
Lawyers and judges................................... 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.3 4.3
Other professional specialty occupations............. 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.9 3.6
Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.2
Technicians and related support........................ 3.3 3.8 3.8 4.7 4.3
Health technologists and technicians................. 3.3 4.4 3.5 4.5 4.5
Engineering and science technicians.................. 3.9 4.7 4.0 5.5 4.0
Technicians, except health, engineering, and science. 2.7 2.9 3.9 4.4 4.1
Sales occupations...................................... 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4
Supervisors and proprietors.......................... 4.4 4.4 4.9 4.8 4.8
Sales representatives, finance and business services. 2.6 2.4 2.7 3.3 2.7
Sales representatives, commodities, except retail.... 3.7 3.9 3.4 3.8 4.1
Sales workers, retail and personal services.......... 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.2
Sales-related occupations............................ 1.7 2.4 3.8 1.5 2.4
Administrative support, including clerical............. 3.5 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.6
Supervisors.......................................... 7.6 8.9 8.4 9.4 8.2
Computer equipment operators......................... 3.2 3.0 3.8 4.8 4.1
Secretaries, stenographers, and typists.............. 3.2 3.0 3.4 4.4 4.1
Financial records processing......................... 4.0 3.6 4.0 4.2 4.2
Mail and message distributing........................ 6.1 4.6 5.9 7.3 7.6
Other administrative support, including clerical..... 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.1
Service occupations...................................... 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.4
Private household...................................... 1.9 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.3
Protective service..................................... 4.6 5.0 4.4 5.2 5.4
Service, except private household and protective....... 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.1
Food service......................................... 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3
Health service....................................... 2.6 2.2 2.4 2.8 2.8
Cleaning and building service........................ 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.1
Personal service..................................... 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2
Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.6
Mechanics and repairers.............................. 5.2 5.8 5.0 5.3 4.9
Construction trades.................................. 3.2 2.6 3.2 3.5 3.4
Other precision production, craft, and repair........ 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.3 6.1
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.2 3.2
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.1 3.9
Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4.4 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.8
Motor vehicle operators.............................. 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.4
Other transportation and material moving occupations. 6.8 7.2 6.3 5.4 4.8
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 2.1 2.0 2.2 1.9 1.9
Construction laborers................................ 2.0 1.3 2.4 2.2 1.6
Other handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers.............................................. 2.2 2.2 2.1 1.8 1.9
Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 2.3 2.4 2.7 3.7 2.8
Farm operators and managers............................ 3.9 5.0 4.8 6.2 4.7
Other farming, forestry, and fishing occupations....... 2.3 2.3 2.6 3.6 2.8
NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used
beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980
census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current
Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
self-employed.